Miniature golf game



March 18, 1958 .1. M. DEAN 2,827,299

MINIATURE GOLF GAME Filed Aug. 12, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. Jill/77 M 051w irroavf/ March 18, 1958 J. M. DEAN 2,827,299

\ MINIATURE GOLF GAME Filed Aug. 12, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 iinited My invention relates to miniature golf games of the kind customarily played on a rug or carpet in the home and especially to miniature golf games whose constituent parts can be arranged and re-arranged to form a great variety of tee, fairway and green configurations as well as obstacles or hazards.

it is an object of the invention to provide a miniature golf game having a number of parts which can be easily assembled and disassembled without the need for special tools.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a miniature golf game which, when in disassembled condition assumes but a relatively small volume and is easily transported and stored.

It is another object of the invention to provide a miniature golf game which, when in assembled position, requires but a comparatively small amount of floor space for satisfactory playing conditions.

it is still another object of the invention to provide a miniature golf game flexible enough in its barrier configurations and use of obstacle members to meet the needs of experienced and inexperienced golfers alike.

It is still another object of the invention toprovide a miniature golf game which serves to improve the putting game of any golfer.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide a miniature golf game which is especially enjoyable to a group of people at a party or other social occasion but which is also used for pleasure and putting experience by only one or two persons.

t is a still further object of the invention to provide a miniature golf game which simulates in many respects a full scale game of golf as played on an ordinary golf course.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide a miniature golf game which allows the user or host on a social occasion by simple arrangement of the barriers and the intermediate obstacles, to make the game as difficult or as easy as desired.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide a miniature golf game which is simple and economical to manufacture.

It is a yet further object of the invention to provide a generally improved miniature golf game.

Other objects, together with the foregoing, are attained in the embodiment described in the accompanying description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a perspective of a typical setup of the miniature golf game.

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of a contiguous pair of barriers, showing one manner in which the barriers can be articulated and showing, in addition, the construction of one of the ends of an obstacle wall and its manner of joinder to a barrier, a portion of the figure being broken away to reduce the extent thereof.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view of a typical grouping ttes tent 2,827,299 Patented Mar. 18, 1958 of component barrier and obstacle members in the playing area.

Figure 4 illustrates another grouping of a number of the component members of the game.

Figure 5 shows still another grouping of component members to form a difierent type of obstacle in the playing area.

Figure 6 is a plan view of a modified arrangement of the barriers and intermediate obstacle-forming components.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary plan view of still another arrangement of the barriers and obstacle-forming components, and showing the cup or hole in a modified form of green area.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of a portion of a barrier and a typical obstacle member, and showing a clamp preparatory to being lowered to connect the barrier and obstacle member, a portion of the figure being broken away to reduce the extent of the figure.

The object of any game of golf is to stroke, in the least number of strokes, a golf ball 13 as by a golf club, such as a putter 12, from a starting zone or tee 13 in a direction along an intermediate playing zone or fairway 14 and toward a finishing zone or green 16 so as to stroke or putt the ball into a hole 17, or cup, located on some portion of the green.

Figure 1 illustrates a typical setup of a golfing hole in the miniature golf game of my invention and comprises a plurality of barriers 21, preferably of modular length and of a number adequate to serve as the boundaries of a hole located, for example, on a 9 foot by 12 foot or similar sized rug or carpet in a room in a home. Conveniently, each of the barriers is square in cross section to lend stability to each of the barriers and, in turn, to the boundary as a whole.

Preferably, the barriers are articulated for ease of rearrangement and even greater resistance to overturning and sliding. In order to connect adjacent barrier ends, the ends of the barriers are recessed, as appears most clearly in Figure 2. Conveniently, approximately one-half of the barrier ends are recessed on their lowermost sides so as to provide an overhang 22 and 23, while the other half of the barrier ends are recessed on their uppermost sides to provide an underhang 24. The overhanging portions 22 and 23 are provided with suitable apertures 2s and 27, respectively, whereas the underhanging portions are provided with pins 28 in register with the apertures. The pin 28 is inserted in the aperture 27 by lowering the overhanging portion onto the underhanging portion so as to form an overlap, the ends of the barriers, thus being pinned together and swingable with respect to each other in a horizontal plane and about the vertical pin as a pivot. In this situation, a variety of boundary or playing areas may be formed by appropriate manipulation of the barrier members.

The polygonal-shaped playing area defined by the barriers shown in Figure 1 furnishes a satisfactory playing area for a simple hole and is frequently utilized as hole No. l in a game to permit novices to get the feel of the game and to permit the other participants to warm up and get some notion of the speed of the putting surface. Quite frequently, however, players prefer to make the succeeding holes somewhat more diflicult to add interest to the game. For this purpose, obstacles of various kinds are interposed in the playing area. Thus, as appears most clearly in Figure 1, a transverse wall 31 or obstacle may be interposed in the fairway portion of the hole so as to divide the playing area into more than one playing zone. The wall 311 comprises a first or lower portion extending between the innermost vertical walls 32 of the barriers, and a second or upper portion, flat on top obstacle members.

andincluding a pairof shoulders 33 extending over onto the top surface of the barriers. The'shoulders 33, as appears most clearly in Figure 2, are each provided with a vertically depending pin 34 insertablefinto acorre sponding' aperture 35 formed in each'of the barriersxinten' mediate the endsthereof. The wall vlll serves not only as an obstacle or barrieribut serves as well to stiffen or brace the-opposite boundary Walls and to place the opposed barriersfand boundary walls in fixed spatial relato deflect the balLnot correctly. hit, and on the pedestal, for'enhancing the realism of the game and further to simulate aireal game of golf, appropriate indicia 40, for

example, of trees or other. objects,.may be placed. For:

convenience, the wall 31, owing to the indicia located thereon, may conveniently be termed a tree obstacle.

' Additional obstacles, such as a wall 42 spanning op-. positef barriers and having shoulders 43 with pins (not shown) in a. fashion similar to that'shown and described in' connection with the tree obstacle 31, serve not only game but serve, as well, to brace and spatially locate opposing barriers. Whereas the tree obstacle 31 is substantially horizontal on top and contains representations of only three or four trees, the wall 42 has a plurality ofscallops 44 formed on the top portion and in the scalloped area'and below indicia 46, such as numerous trees, may be painted to represent deep woods; .The

entire top surface of the obstacle 42, conveniently termed the woods obstacle, is not scalloped, however, but over its central portion 47.is substantially horizontal and of a height comparable to the height of the tree obstacle 31. A central aperture 48 is provided in the woods obstacle to permit passage of the ball under certain arrangements of the'parts and the balance of the obstacle,.being unapertured, serves as a substantially more difllcult obstacle than-the previously described tree obstacle 31, it being necessary for the ball to travel as indicated by the straight line 49 in order to pass through the central aperture 43-and into the golf hole 17, the hole comprising a shallow truncated conical member 50 having a cup '51 formed in a central location therein to receive a golf ball which is properly struck, as shown by the arrow 52.

While the game is successfully used by. one or two persons playing competitively, its greatest usefulness arises on the occasion of agroup of persons who are paired oif for competitive purposes, as, for example, two pairs of people, or a foursome as it is known in an actual game of golf. The game is conveniently played by arranging the playlng area in'any desired configuration and with' any'd esired grouping of obstacles. Then, upon the completion of the hole by the playing out or sinking of the balls into the hole by all four participants, the barriers areregrouped or reformed into a new configuration; or, with'retention of the configuration indicated, :as, for example, the playing areashown in Figure 1, the interior obstacles are changed so as to rezone the playing area and make the game progressively harder. For example, as'appears 'in Figure 3, the woods obstacle 42 is made considerably more difficult by the addition of further a forwardly converging or tapering apron 57 leading forwardly and upwardly from the rug or carpet, sloping at a fairly low angle to permit the ball to run up the apron from the playing surface. The forward end of the apron issup'ported on the horizontal portion 47 of the woods obstacle, the apron terminating in a vertical plate 59 to prevent the participant from by-passing the ramp obstacle by-strokingthegolf'ball over the upper end of the ramp.

The ramp is held in position by a downwardly projecting lip 61 hooked over the vertical face of the obstacle nearest the cup 17.

Adjacent the upper end of the ramp is a centrally located aperture 62 to permit a well-directed and properly hit ball to drop downwardly through the aperture e2, onwardly through the aperture 48. in the woods obi stacle and toward the cup 17 in the direction indicated by the arrow 63. Whilea well-hit ball will ordinarily move onwardly toward the cup when it drops through the hole 62, assurance of onward motion is provided by a wedge 64 or short ramp disposed below the aperture 62 f the wedge sloping toward the cup 17. Serving further 'to restrict the ball motion in a direction toward the as an additional obstacle to increase the difficulty of the e aperture 48, is a pair of what are conveniently termed long bars 65 disposed on opposite sides of the wedge 64, the long bars being sloped at an angle with respect to the barriers but conforming to the taper of the apron and thus providing adjacent the lower. or surface engagingv portion of the apron apair of vertical faces 67 servingto assist the player hitting the ball properly, the faces 67 acting as channels to guide the ball up the ramp. The

long bars are preferably rectangular in cross section and,"

on the ends shown facing toward the obstacle 42 in Figure 3, are cut off squarely as appears at numeral 69. The

opposite ends of the long bars are preferably beveled as indicated by numeral 71, the taper serving in the position.

7 shown to deflect laterally and away from the ramp a ball V the obstacle and the barrier.

A drop ramp obstacle 56' includes which is improperly struck and which strikes the beveled portion 71. A ball struck against the beveled portion 71 will be diverted laterally toward the barrier and toward the obstacle 42 and'into a pocket defined by the long bar, The pocket forces the player to take extra strokes to get out of the pocket and serves to add torhis score on that particular game, in a fashion quite like that of a real game of golf.

Figure 4 illustrates still another type of obstacle which can be formed using the woods obstacle 42. 7 Here again, as in the drop ramp, ataperedapron type of obstacle is utilized but the apron 75 is substantially longer than in the drop type of ramp and is therefore conveniently termed a long ramp 76. The long ramp 76' hasno apertures therein, but instead provides a slope of lower angle than the drop ramp to permit the golf ball to travel up the ramp and over the end thereof toward the hole,

so that as the ball departs from the upper end of the ramp it drops downwardly from the upper ramp lip and V takes a few low bounces as it proceeds up thegreen area. While the long bars 66 are often placed along the sides of the long ramp 76,in the same fashion as shown in Figure 3, it is frequently found interesting to' place the long bars on top of each other as shown in Figure 4 so as to cover the aperture 48 in the obstacle 42 and in .this way prevent the participant from caroming his ball around the sides of the ramp, throughtheaperture 48 and onwardly toward the green. I

The wedge 64 orshort ramp is often utilized in conjunction with a pair of short bars 81, the thickest vertical dimension of the wedge being substantially equal to the vertical thickness of the short bars. The short bars are similar to but shorter than the long bars and have a length such that when placed end to end, as shown in 1 Figure 5, the unobstructed space between opposite barriers is diminished to an extent such that the participant cannot'hit the ball around the ends of the bars, but, in-.

stead, must strike the ball up the short ramp 64, over the tops of the short bars and onwardly towardthe green.

While the boundary configuration, defined by the barriers, frequently is given a generally'straight. line shape (as in Figure l), the playing area'is not limited to such In Figure 6, for example, the barriers are shown shape. 7 arranged in a fashion to simulate aright-hand dog-leg type of hole frequently encountered on a golf course. In.

main, central or intermediate fairway portion 14. The dog-leg arrangement entails the striking of the ball 11 in such a fashion that the ball will ultimately be directed toward the right, as appears in Figure 6, in order to reach the cup 17. Since interest in the game is enhanced by making it possible for a player to make a hole in one, a banking bar 86 is provided, the bar being beveled at both ends so as to fit in the corner formed by the corner barriers at an angle of approximately forty-five degrees and serving to bank or deflect a ball struck in the original direction indicated by the arrow 37 in a direction at right angles thereto and onwardly in the direction indicated by the arrow 88 so as to travel in a line toward the cup 17.

The banking bars not only assist the player in deflecting a properly hit ball, but, in addition, offer substantial bracing to the contiguous corner banking bars disposed substantially at right angles with respect to each other. Adjacent the ends of the banking bars is a pair of openings 89 and 91, respectively. With particular reference to Figures 6 and 8, it will be seen that an inverted U clamp 92 is utilized to connect the bar to the barrier, one leg of the clamp being placed in the opening 89 or 91 in the bar, and the other leg of the clamp being placed in the previously mentioned aperture adjacent the ends of the barrier, the barrier apertures serving, therefore, not only to receive a bracing clamp leg but also the vertical pins in the shoulders of the transversely disposed wall types of obstacle.

Hazards or obstacles in the game lend excitement and interest to the play and, if desired, the playing area illustrated in Figure 6 may be made even more difficult to traverse by the addition of a pair of the short bars 81, the beveled ends of the short bars being placed in contact with the adjacent inner sides of the barriers. The short bars project outwardly at a converging angle as illustrated to restrict the traversable area or the width of passageway for the ball and to provide a pair of pockets to act as further hazards. In a fashion similar to that described in connection with the banking bar, the short bars 81 may be secured to the barriers by the clamps 92, the outer legs of the clamps fitting into corresponding openings 93 centrally located in each one of the barriers.

Not only may the tee area be rearranged by appropriate re-positioning of the barriers, but the green area as well may be altered from the customary hexagonal fence or boundary area shown in Figures 1 and 6. For example, the green area may be formed into the shape indicated in Figure 7, so that the cup 17 is offset from the intermediate or fairway portion of the playing area. In the setup indicated in Figure 7, at the end of the fairway area a hazard of the tree type of obstacle 31 may be utilized, and which has formed therein the apertures 36. In this arrangement, the ball may be struck through one of the apertures 36, as indicated by the arrow 96. Serving to assist the participant in making a hole in one is a short bar 81 linked by the clamp 92 to the adjacent barrier 21, the short bar serving in this instance somewhat in the nature of a 45 bank and to this extent resembling a banking bar. Thus, a properly struck ball travelling in the direction indicated by the numeral 96 will be deflected by the short bar 81, and will thereafter move in the direction indicated by the arrow 97 and onwardly toward the cup. It is important that the short bar '81 be maintained in its 45 position so that a hole in one is at least made possible and the same angle is offered to all players. In order to hold the short bar 81 rigidly, the companion short bar 81 is placed with its tapered side adjacent the corner of the barrier and is also clamped, as by the clamp 92, to the barrier. The ends of the short bars 81 distant from the barriers are brought into contact adjacent their straight ends and the ends locked together by another of the clamps 92, the legs of the clamp being disposed in the corresponding apertures adjacent the ends of the bars.

Should it be desired to change slightly the set up shown in full line in Figure 7, one of the short bars may be removed and the remaining bar rearranged to the position indicated in dotted line in Figure 7. In this situation, the short bar is placed substantially at an angle of 45 degrees in the corner formed by the corner barriers and in the position indicated by the reference numeral 93. In this position, the short bar has its opposite ends locked, as by clamps 92, to adjacent ones of the barriers.

It is to be noted that the dimensions of the various components or elements are carefully worked out, not only with respect to the placing of the apertures in the various elements but with regard to the lengths of the polyhedral members such as the long bars, the banking bars and the short bars. All are so dimensioned that they may be used under various circumstances either severally or as cooperating members, one with the other, and in all cases serve the further purpose of bracing the barriers and each other so as to preserve the original playing area boundaries, all members being capable of being connected to the barriers and to each other by the use of the clamps 92 and by wedging against each other or into a barrier corner.

It may therefore be seen that the miniature golf game of my invention provides a highly flexible and adaptable game of skill simulating in many respects an actual game of golf, yet which takes up but a fraction of the area thereof and which accomplishes all of the objects of the invention hereinbefore stated.

What is claimed is:

l. A miniature golf game comprising a boundary wall made up of a plurality of modular length barriers comparable in height to a golf ball, each of said barriers having a base adapted to rest upon a planar support and having recessed rounded ends, vertical pivots concentric with said rounded ends and movably connecting successive ones of said barriers together with said recessed ends thereof in overlapped relationship to encompass a closed substantially elongated but horizontally variable playing area, one end of said area defining a starting zone of play and the other end of said area defining a finishing zone of play, a transverse Wall member adapted to rest upon said planar support and interposed between said starting zone of play and saidfim'shing zone of play, said wall member having stepped ends to rest upon the top of subjacent ones of said barriers, and vertical pivot rods depending from said stepped ends into said subjacent barriers whereby said wall member holds said subjacent ones of said barriers a fixed distance apart.

2. A structure as in claim 1 in which there are openings through said transverse wall member establishing communication for a golf ball between said starting zone and said finishing zone.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,423,618 Lackey July 25, 1922 1,582,183 Maurer Apr. 27, 1926 1,608,273 Glasgow Nov. 23, 1926 1,818,749 =Pittler Aug. 11, 1931 1,856,816 Luddy May 3, 1932 1,897,289 Wieden Feb. 14, 1933 2,116,301 Champlin May 3, 1938 2,176,622 Davis Oct. 17, 1939 2,577,702 De Swart Dec. 4, 1951 2,592,713 Koch Apr. 15, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 352,721 Great Britain 1931 358,362 Great Britain 1931 

